Cellcentric: Creating a robust technology foundation to prepare for manufacturing growth
en
Industry
Automotive
Region
Kirchheim Unter Teck, Germany
Company Size
600 employees
About Cellcentric
Formed as a joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group AB, cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG is focused on the development and commercialization of next-generation hydrogen fuel cell systems for long-haul heavy-duty trucks. These offer best in class TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) - low weight / long range / high flexibility / short refueling times / optimized fuel efficiency / zero emission / outstanding durability - than traditional fuel cell solutions. That way cellcentric fuel cell systems have the potential to help the world take a major step toward climate-neutral transportation.
To date, we’ve gained more than 700 patents, highlighting our pioneering role in the development of sustainable fuel cell technology. However, to achieve our ambition of becoming a leading global producer of H2 fuel cell systems, we need to transition from an IT systems landscape designed for R&D operations to a robust technology foundation that can support large-scale manufacturing.
99%
Fit-to-standard deployment of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition
>600%
Scaled production output with digital manufacturing and an optimized material supply
3
Months from project kickoff to go-live in production assembly with SAP Digital Manufacturing
"With our cloud solutions from SAP, we’ve created a strong and highly scalable technology foundation that’s enabling us to transition smoothly from a research company to global manufacturing operations."
-Christian Kruppenbacher, CIO, cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG
Challenge:
Initially set up as a R&D operation, we needed to transition to mass production of our hydrogen fuel cells. However, before we could take this next step, we needed to switch up our IT landscape to establish a technology foundation that could support large-scale manufacturing.
To achieve this, we wanted to replace our existing ERP based on the SAP ERP application with a next-generation cloud ERP. We also wanted to implement cloud solutions for manufacturing and HR management, as well as implement best practice–based, standardized processes across our operations
Solution:
We used the SAP Signavio Process Manager solution to determine optimal processes for efficient operations before implementing the SAP Digital Manufacturing solution, integrating it with SAP ERP using SAP Integration Suite. We also began to deploy SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition which, when live, we’ll integrate with SAP Digital Manufacturing and our SAP SuccessFactors solutions. Supported by SAP MaxAttention services, we accelerated our cloud ERP deployment using the SAP Activate methodology and the SAP Cloud ALM tool. In addition, we’re using the SAP Enable Now solution to make training materials readily available
Outcome:
Our cloud solutions from SAP provide a comprehensive and robust digital backbone that will enable us to successfully ramp up our operations for mass production of our fuel cells. With standardized processes, clearly defined responsibilities, and straightforward access to training materials, we’re ready for rapid growth in our workforce.
Meanwhile, automatic updates to our cloud solutions will enable us to take advantage of the latest technologies and AI-enabled innovations in the future. This will help us further streamline our business processes and support us in our goal of achieving global leadership in sustainable fuel cell technology.
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